'VANGUARD' Extra Protective KendoStar Kote

PERFECT FOR *ALL* LEVELS OF KENDOKA - VANGUARD HAS BEEN SPECIALLY DEVELOPED TO BE EXTREMELY PROTECTIVE - PERFECT FOR BOTH BEGINNERS, AS WELL AS ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS WHO OFTEN ACT AS MOTODACHI.

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BACK & REINCARNATED! The Extra Protective Bogu Set 'VANGUARD' is one of the Bogu sets that stands out as unique amongst its rivals. The culmination of years of research and trials, VANGUARD has been specifically developed to not only be comfortable, and functional - but most importantly, extremely protective.

"I designed the VANGUARD Bogu set, based somewhat on the most popular Bogu sets that I have designed in the past. During my career as a Kendogu professional, it has been somewhat hard to deliver a Kendo Bogu set that provides this level of protection, whilst I was employed at Japanese companies. Despite producing an extremely popular, extra-protective Bogu set in the past, that was hugely popular, I was told by the companies in Japan that worked for that it was not to be continued - as it did not meet the needs of Japanese customers.

This upset me a great deal, and was a deciding factor in leaving employment at such companies, in order to start KendoStar.

The great thing about VANGUARD is that it is great for ALL levels of Kendoka. It's great for instructors who are on the receiving end of lots of hard strikes - especially from beginners. But it is also a fantastic set for instructors to recommend to their students, including the beginners, as they also benefit from the protective features. I know myself, from my own experience as a Kendo instructor, that a large number of students quit Kendo shortly after first wearing the Bogu. This is because of the pain that they experience as beginners, which not only are they not used to, but also because they are also on the receiving end of strikes from other beginners, who have not mastered the cutting technique.

In Japan, this is less of a problem, as most beginners are children, and not adults. So they do not experience hard strikes in the same way. Therefore, simply allowing a new adult beginner to use the same kind of Bogu that is popular in Japan can be quite risky.

Therefore, VANGUARD carries on my own personal tradition of designing and manufacturing Bogu sets to cater to this concept, and I could not be more proud to finally bring the most protective, and most comfortable Bogu set so far to the international Kendo community" - Andy Fisher, KendoStar CEO.

Literally perfect for ALL levels of Kendoka.

The Kote also feature the same 10mm Pitch-zashi stitching, as featured on the Men, and also feature the same additional padding in the strike zone - keeping you protected from hard strikes. The wrist joint is made using an original cut, which is extremely flexible, whilst also being very durable. The palms are made using toughened synthetic leather, and Yoroi-Kazari is featured on the fists, and genuine deer's hair is used inside for increased maneuverability.